Takin' Over the Asylum

I came to this program from doing an IMDb search on David Tennant. Yes, I came to this from Doctor Who, and yes, I am an unrepentant DT fanboy. But...

I was totally blown away by the talent shown in this early work of Tennant's. Already we can see why he's become such a big hit on stage & TV. Most 22 year old actors just don't have his level of skill. Throughout, as Campbell Bain, he steals the show from it's intended star. At no point did I ever fail to believe him in the character. He embodied it, just as he's done with so many of his other roles.

The story is good, too. A radio station located in an asylum changes the lives of the inmates and the DJ as well. Mostly though, it changes Campbell. At the start he is an uncontrolled manic. As time goes on and he finds an outlet for his mania, he develops a personality, not just a diagnosis.

It's definitely worth hunting down, even if you're not totally mad for David Tennant like me. Just a really good quality Brit TV show.

This was probably one of the finest series to come out of the BBC in the mid 1990's and stands head and shoulders above anything else today. It took a gritty look at life inside an asylum, an institution now rarely seen in the UK. It aimed to show that those suffering from mental illness were just like you and me once but a trigger in their life had caused the illness to manifest itself. It took a few people and protaryed their lives in a caring way showing some making it through and others not.

Well done to the writers of this series for giving us a frank yet compassionate view of mental illness and its perception in society today.

I just looked this up on IMDb in the hope that it might lead me to a DVD, but it doesn't seem to be on DVD. Are the BBC crazy? I was amazed to see that Takin' Over The Asylum is now 12 years old. I remember it so clearly. When it was first shown I thought it was the best TV series I had ever seen. Periodically the plot seemed too good to be true, at which point there was a twist to bring it back down to earth. Great writing and excellent acting. When it was repeated I told everyone I knew to watch it, but they didn't. I don't know why. I watched it all through again and it was just as good. Perhaps now that David Tennent is Dr. Who, somebody will think about releasing his earlier work on DVD. Whenever I see him I remember his slogan from Takin'Over The Asylum, delivered loudly in a strong Scottish accent: "We are loonies and we are proud".

A bittersweet series with extraordinary acting by all. How I would love to see it again on a video or DVD. Currently I am forced to watch it on a set of old videotapes which I recorded when the series was on TV in Australia. These tapes go back and forth between my daughter and myself quite regularly as she is also an addict. Having been in an "asylum" myself on a couple of occasions, I can identify with the "loonies" and also have quite a few laughs and wry smiles at the content. Having coped with an alcoholic in the family there is also a link with Ken Stott's Eddie - sometimes painful, but real nevertheless. Rosalie, with her OCD triumphs as her condition provides her with satisfaction as she puts things in order, and the acting of this role is superb. I find it sad that my husband cannot enjoy this series as much as I do.

What a truly great series this is! Such a pity that it probably won't be released on DVD, due to problems with getting the necessary approval to use some of the songs, according to somebody I asked. The cast is uniformly excellent and the direction, seamless. So many wounded people, but so many with a fire inside them to keep trying to live a life that makes sense! It's a show that made me grind my teeth at the inhumanity of government cost-cutting in the mental health arena. The loonies are by no means the ones inside the asylum.

David Tennant is simply magnificent as the manic, inventive, affectionate, good hearted Campbell Bain. His exchanges with his dad would break your heart.

Thoroughly recommended.

ETA 18.01.14 The DVD has now been available for a few years and contains two eps with audio commentaries. It's wonderful to be able to watch the show again and nothing about it disappoints.